Metal oxides of the pyrochlore structure have been known heretofore and are generally described as of the general composition A.sub.2+x B.sub.2-x O.sub.7-y wherein A is Pb, Bi, Tl, Sn or any combination thereof, and B is one or more of Ru, Rh, Ir, Os, and Pt, and wherein x and y are each equal to or greater than zero and equal to or less than 1. It has been taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,129,525 that the described pyrochlore compounds can be fabricated into high surface area materials which can be used as electrodes in the evolution or reduction of oxygen in alkaline solutions. It has further been taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,434,031 that the described high surface area pyrochlore compounds, with U.S. Pat. No. 4,129,525 and related patents being referenced, can be used as anodes in electrolytic cells in a method of electrocatalytically oxidizing an oxidizable organic compound. The method is described as useful for electrocatalytically generating carboxylates from primary alcohols, olefins, glycols, keto alcohols, diketones, keto acids and hydroxy acids, and certain cleavage reactions and conversion of secondary alcohols to ketones are also described. Certain defect pyrochlores have been proposed as a catalyst support with gas-phase oxidation of hydrocarbons or CO to CO.sub.2 being attributed to platinum on the surface; see Goodenough et al, J. Solid State Chem. 44, 108 (1982). The pyrochlores were employed as powdered crystals rather than as high surface area materials.